1980’s

Formative years

Australia

Born 11.5 weeks premature to two loving entrepreneurial parents

Kirsty faces serious health complications and spends long periods in hospital throughout her childhood.

Undergoes 20+ hour stomach reconstruction surgery, which saved her life and made the medical record books. 

Diagnosed with Coeliac disease 

This was the beginning of a long road to recovery.

These years shape her resilience, empathy, and urgency for a meaningful life. 

They also become the foundation of a life journey that prioritises gut health and clean foods. 

Age 16

Early Career. A Pivotal Chapter

This moment does not usually appear on timelines.
It belongs here.

Kirsty begins her working life at McDonald’s.
It is where she falls in love with operations, leadership, sales discipline, and culture.
She learns how strong culture drives performance under pressure.
How systems create consistency.
How standards scale across people and places.

This experience shifts her direction.
She chooses not to pursue child psychology, a significant decision at the time.
She completes her HSC and moves directly into a management role.

It is also where she experiences giving back through the Ronald McDonald House.
A place that deepens her belief in community and care, and also keeps her close to the hospital she spent so much time in as a child.

This chapter shapes her work ethic and leadership style.
It is where she meets her lifetime partner and husband, Ash
And forms lifelong friendships that remain today.

Age 22

First Business Ownership

At 22, Kirsty and Ash Ghahramani open their first business together.
They own and operate a Gloria Jean’s Coffees store in the former Arnott’s biscuit factory, North Strathfield.

This is their first experience building something side by side.
Running operations.
Leading teams.
Managing pressure together.

It marks the beginning of a long-term partnership in life and business.

Age 26

Founding Naturally Glutenfree

Kirsty and Ash Ghahramani co-found Naturally Glutenfree alongside Brendan and Sue-Ellen Miotello.
The business is built from lived experience, not trends.

They lead with high-quality whole foods.
No additives.
No preservatives.
No shortcuts.

People come first.
Teams are built with care, trust, and long-term thinking.
Culture is treated as a system, not a slogan.

They design and operate a purpose-built, gluten-free manufacturing facility.
Process-led.
Safety-first.
Built for scale and longevity.

Naturally Glutenfree becomes a leader in Australia’s gluten-free food service industry.
It becomes a key manufacturing partner, helping other brands build and scale.

The business has grown steadily over two decades.
Built quietly.
Built with discipline.
Built to last.

Kirsty becomes a mum to Isabella and Max.

This chapter reshapes everything.
Time.
Priorities.
Perspective.

Motherhood deepens her commitment to presence, values, and long-term thinking.
It sharpens her focus on the next generation.
On what is built.
And why it matters.

This becomes a defining force in how she leads, builds, and chooses.

Corporate Career

The Long Juggle

I think this is the only way to describe this chapter

With a long-term vision for the business, Kirsty returns to corporate leadership.
This choice creates personal cash flow while Ash focuses fully on Naturally Glutenfree.
Together, they reinvest consistently back into the business.

This partnership allows them to live while building their future.
It also comes at a cost.

For fifteen + years, Kirsty runs parallel paths.
Corporate leadership by day.
Business ownership by night and weekends.
Home, family, and children always in motion.

As an entrepreneur inside corporate, she goes all in.
Strong work ethic.
High standards.
Relentless commitment.

The emotional toll is real.
So is the discipline required to hold it all.

This is the messy middle.
The season where progress feels slow, comparison creeps in, and quitting feels close.
It is also where she finds her best self.
She loves her corporate career.

This chapter sharpens her resilience.
It deepens empathy for working parents.
And reinforces her belief in long games, shared sacrifice, and intentional choice.

Portfolio Career

By Design. With Intention

Kirsty steps into a portfolio career by design.
A shift from singular roles to intentional work.

She combines board roles, advisory work, interim leadership, podcasting, and building new ventures.
Each role serves a clear purpose.
Each commitment earns its place.

Mentorship sits at the centre of this chapter.
She mentors others.
And remains a committed mentee.

This chapter brings alignment.
Time with family matters most.
Impact matters.
Choice matters.

It is the result of years of discipline and trade-offs.
A structure built to support contribution, balance, and the long view.

Kirsty launches Leadership Odysseys.

A platform built around the human side of leadership.
Around what leadership actually feels like.

It is for founders, leaders, and operators.
For those carrying responsibility.
Showing up daily.
Often without pause or applause.

The focus is lived experience.
Wisdom earned over time.
Stories shaped by pressure, doubt, and persistence.

This is not about success highlights.
It is about the middle.
The long road.
The moments that quietly define who you become.

Leadership Odysseys holds a clear intention.
To pass wisdom forward.
To remind people to stop and look back.
To help the next generation lead with perspective, not comparison.

It grows into a community.
A place to slow down.
Reflect.
And recognise how far you have come.

For Kirsty (Gee), Leadership Odysseys is a personal endeavour.
It is where her lived experience meets service.
A way to honour the long road.
And to help others stay the course, especially when the middle feels heavy.